Monday, February 28, 2011

It is crazy to think that a year ago today was the eve of Lemon Tree Creations blog!! It has been such a blast sharing projects with you all every week, seeing what sort of creative ventures my co-workers have been up to, hearing your lovely comments and feedback, and seeing your takes on our tutorials!! What a great year!!

In honor of our birthday week, we thought we'd each share a bit about our experiences this past year, so here is mine. :)

I used to shy away from DIY projects because I assumed that the the people who did them were professionals, and that I could never do something similar with so little knowledge and experience. But one day I saw a great tutorial for making twine balls on V&Co's site, and I thought I might be able to pull it off. I tried it, loved the result, and Vanessa (who is awesome), left me the sweetest comment telling me how nicely they had turned out. After that I started looking for other projects to do in my home and I couldn't stop. :)

I eventually started to want place to share these things besides my family blog. (Some people can mesh the two beautifully, but I always felt guilty if I shared too much about my home in a place where most people were coming to hear about my family. AKA, where my son's out-of-state grandparents were coming to see updates and pictures of him.) So I was so thrilled the week that Tiffany, Patrice and I decided that we would collaborate on LTC! I was glad to have a place where I be unapologetic about projects that I was doing around my home, share the space with two incredibly talented good friends, and see what we could make of the whole thing. Then Amy and Jessica joined us and I couldn't wait to see what would happen! I was nervous but excited.

I remember the first week when we just hoped that someone would like our blog. We emailed each other and said, "We have 15 followers!! I'm so excited!" It's a year later and I'm still excited whenever I log on and see how many people like a project, have tried a tutorial, have featured one of our projects on their own blogs, or have signed up to follow along with us. You guys are amazing!!

There are a few other things about the blog that have surprised me, in a good way, and I wanted to share them with you.

It has really pushed me.

A year ago when I signed up to do this, I don't know that I was fully aware of the commitment that I was making. Coming up with 52 projects that were good enough to buy materials for, assemble, photograph and write about every week is a fairly daunting task! I don't feel like someone who has tons of knowledge and ideas to draw from, just someone who has a few ideas and a willingness to try new things. It turns out that that was all that I needed. :)

Since I know that I have to post a project every Monday, I am forced to finish things that I had previously started and abandoned, improvise if something isn't going the way that I thought it would, and make good use of materials that I have on hand. I've had to find instructions for painting, glazing, staining, sanding, stenciling, cutting and sewing online, and then practice until I get them right. Even though I sit down every week at my computer with the goal of teaching how to do something, I have actually been learning all along the way. And I love it.

It has given me confidence.

When we first started I had several ideas for projects, but a part of me was afraid that once I had used those up that I would have nothing left to give. But I've been delighted to discover that the opposite has been true. Every week when I scratch something off of my list, I typically add a few more ideas to the bottom! Each new venture leaves me thinking about how I can modify that technique, or how to use it on another project.

It turns out that continuing to try new things, and having some of them go well, gives me the confidence to continue to try other new things. It is funny to look back through a year's worth of posts and remember that for many of these projects, it was the first time that I had ever done anything like it!! I have mastered a dozen or more skills in the past year and I'm excited to see what I can add to my bag of tricks in this next year! :)

Sometimes it's therapeutic.

I've found that working with my hands and following a project through to the end can have a therapeutic effect. My husband and I suffered a miscarriage last summer, and in the midst of trying to move through the days, I found that having projects that kept my hands busy and my mind engaged, but quiet, was helpful.

It is funny now to look back on the projects that I did at the time, because it seems obvious (to me) that I would get an idea and then make a million examples of it! I am thankful that in those weeks there were some fun things on my to-do list, like making tons of little tie appliques or various versions of tray decorations. :)

You support us, mistakes and all.

I was worried, at first, that my projects needed to turn out perfectly to be worth sharing. But I love that you guys seem to appreciate my "oops" moments as well as a good finished project!! Now instead of worrying about my mistakes, I always try to be candid about them so that you know what to avoid. :) I also love it when you share your own tips or project ideas in emails or the comments section, particularly since I feel like I'm learning alongside of you.

I have really appreciated your feedback in the Shut Up and Sew series! Many of you have a wealth of sewing knowledge and I have already implemented TONS of your suggestions to help make the most of my novice sewing skills. Please keep them coming!!

All of that to say, a huge Thank You to you all for continuing to let us share our homes and ourselves with you every week!!! Your comments and support mean the world to us, and to celebrate, we have some fun giveaways scheduled for you this week!!

TODAY you have the chance to win this stunning dress from Shabby Apple!!

Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else. A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!).

The website even includes a fit finder, to help you find the dresses that will help you to emphasize your assets and feel your best.

Wouldn't it be perfect for the spring or summer?! It would be lovely against winter or slightly sun-kissed skin. The color is amazing, and I'm crazy for the ruffles along the neck!!

Want to win it?! I'm sure you do!!

You'll have 3 chances to win, and since it is our birthday celebration week we would love some feedback from you about our year together in blog land!

(leave a comment for each item)

1.) What are some of your favorite things that we've done on LTC this year? Painting projects, room re-dos, sewing projects, crafts, etc?

2.) What would you like to see more of on LTC? Decorating advice, photography tips, more about each contributor, themed posts, etc?

3.) Like Shabby Apple on Facebook here, and you'll be among the first to know about new dresses, special discounts and other exciting news from this amazing company.

(You must have a shipping address in the US to be eligible to win.)

The lovely people at Shabby Apple have also agreed to give every order from a Lemon Tree Creations reader a10% discount!! To take advantage of this, just enter lemontreecreations10offat checkout. This offer is only good for 30 days, so head on over to pick out your favorite new spring or summer dress!!

Friday, February 25, 2011

If you love thriftiness as much I, you will appreciate this effortless craft. This simple record bowl just takes a few moments of your time and a little patience (for the cooling process).

Of course, I was perusing the thrift stores (my weekend routine) when I found myself aimlessly browsing through these awesome record sleeves admiring the artworks on the front and disturbed from the fact no one was using them any longer. So, I purchased 20 or so (for .25, since you really can't find a better bargain).

Have a look at the record labels:

The supplies you will need for this project are items you already have on hand; two glass bowls of different sizes, oven mitts, a cookie sheet, and a drinking glass.

ps.. don't forget the record!

Next, you will want to preheat your oven to 200 like so:

Place your record on the small bowl, which is on top of the drinking glass on the cooking sheet.

I thought it was so neat to watch the record begin to melt. Depending on the amount of "curve-age" you are looking for in your bowl you can let in drop all the way or pull it out of the oven as soon as it begins to melt.

Be careful taking it out, USE your oven mitt of course and place the larger bowl on top of the small bowl to help form the final product!

Once the bowl has cooled just separate the two and viola! A new vintage piece added to your collection (or to someone elses)! Aren't these fun?

Have a great weekend! Be sure to check LTC next week as we approach our one year anniversary!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Today I want to share with you my daughter's completed "big girl" room. Last week I told you I had settled on a ballerina theme. Trust me, its a subtle one, but I hope you can find the little details in the room. There isn't a whole lot I need to say about it, so I am mostly just going to let the pictures tell the story.I will tell you that I originally made little tutus to replace the flowers I have had hanging in her room since the nursery days. However, the tutus made a much bigger impact hanging on her mirror than from the ceiling.And in their place, I just turned the flowers into tiny dancers with sweet scalloped tops.And that is pretty much it! I hope you enjoyed the little tour. As you well know, this is probably not the end. I am sure I will walk around changing, creating, rearranging, etc til the next big change in our lives comes my way. But, for now, lets just call it a day!

Monday, February 21, 2011

We had a few warm days around here recently and it gave me a serious case of spring fever. It got me in the mood to do something "springy". I love making cards so some spring greeting cards were in order.

I used the Silhouette Studio to make these cards. You do not have to own a Silhouette machine for this project. You can get a Silhouette Studio account for free and choose your images from their online store. Most of them are only .99 cents and there are clearance ones for .50 cents! You can create your project and then send it to your printer.

I started off searching for some images that reminded me of springtime. I put my images on a new page, sized them up and placed them at the bottom of the page so that they would be in the right spot for a folded card. I made the line color black on my images and then also used black as the fill in color. This is what the images looked like after I fixed them up...

I then printed the images onto kraft cardstock. I then cut the paper approximately in half to create two cards.

I did this again with 2 more images that I loved and printed them on orange paper. They immediately made me smile.

I just love the way the black images pop on the paper. Love.

Whenever I make cards, I stamp the date of the occasion on the back of the card. These are all-occasion greeting cards so I simply stamped the year.

And you may have noticed that the first one I stamped was upside down. Oops. Oh, well. Adds character, right?

I got four white envelopes to go with my cards.

Finally, I stacked them up and tied a "springy" ribbon around the stack.

Wouldn't these make a super fun gift for friends or family? I love them. Easy, classic, and cute. I will probably make 100 more of them. I already have a few images in my library ready to be placed on a card.

These (or maybe a corrected version of these) will be part of our LTC bundle giveaway for our first birthday celebration next week! I can't wait to celebrate with you all.